Phoenix Arcanum
Phoenix Arcanum (true name unknown) is a "young" (centuries old) Xyonian ( Sanctioned Xenos) that acts as a Rogue Trader. Despite his psyker and xenos (possibly even mutant) status Arcanum is tolerated by the Imperium simply because he done many great deeds for the benefit of the Imperium. Some of the more radical elements within the Inquisition seek to "fight fire with fire" and utilize Phoenix's skills and natural abilities to hunt down the enemies of Mankind. History Childhood Phoenix Arcanum was "born" around the year 802.M41 on the planet Xyon into the aristocratic House of Thaelixar. As was custom for Xyonians of the Great Houses, he wasn't born in the typical fashion of the "commoners" rather he was "grown" in a "loom" (essentially a large vat). During his "looming" it became apparent that his "bio-data" had developed numerous deviances from the "Thaelixar template". This genetic "anomaly" earned him the scorn of his family and his peers. Throughout his childhood, the only people who treated him with any form of compassion where his brother Belial, his sister Katiana, and his childhood friend Serana (a fellow Xyonian). A notable point of his life on Xyon was the brutal combat training he partook in. Ever since the day he was born, his sibling Belial would take him out into the arid wastelands of their homeworld for hours on end after his daily education. Phoenix's entire life consisted of nothing but eating, learning, training and sleeping. As a child of one of the Great Houses Phoenix was eventually forced to enroll in the Academy of Xyon. Phoenix spent 2 years at the Academy until one night, on his tenth birthday, he was inexplicably moved to run away. After hours of wandering the Capital City's spaceports, he eventually found a crew of questionable morality willing to take him far away from his homeworld. After he left Xyon, he forsook his birth name in favor of the pseudonym Phoenix Arcanum. Satalian War Shortly after leaving Xyon, the ship he was on was attacked by militaristic "Aetrian Empire" (a small Xenos empire located on the fringes of the Galaxy in the Segmentum Tempestus) who enslaved the crew (and Phoenix), forcing them to serve in their military. Following introductory training and numerous attempts at organic augmentation, he was placed in the "Trench Corp" of the Second Penal Legion (slave armies that made up the backbone of the Aetrian military). Ten Penal Legions (including the Second Legion) were sent to Satalia, an Imperial planet located within the Segmentum Tempestus. After only a few years, Phoenix, who had been forced to fight in the trenches under brutal conditions all while suffering constant abuse from his superiors, assaulted his commanding officer while she was celebrating the 7,213th anniversary of the formation Aetrian Empire. This caused unrest within his Legion and ultimately lead to the Legion being imprisoned at the Fort Dormstagg Detention Facility the very same day. For an entire year the Phoenix suffered torture at the hands of his captors. Eventually, he was able to stir up a prison revolt large enough to take over the prison and slaughter their captives. Slowly the inmates were able to not only destroy the prison, but the surrounding town as well. Phoenix's own rampage was put to a halt when a multi-story building collapsed on top of him. He survived (albeit grievously injured) and was pulled out of the ruins by his fellow escapees. Upon recovering his body, the wounds miraculously healed themselves with minimal scarring. This event earned him the epithet of "the Phoenix". The escapees would eventually find themselves at Satalia's capital city and pledged themselves to the Elysian government and the Imperium of Man. News of the Second Legion's rebellion inspired similar events and eventually just under half of the Aetrian Penal Legions had turned traitor and joined forces with the Elysian and the Imperium. Over the next decade and a half the Satalian PDF and their Aetrian defector allies were able to slowly wear down Aetrian forces and force their withdrawal from the planet. The same day of the Aetrian retreat, the Imperial forces and the Aetrian defectors were forced to abandon the now nearly uninhabitable. The Satalian War refugees were able to settle a previously uninhabited and undiscovered world with Segmentum Solar found through Phoenix's "trans-temporal visions". After settling on the planet (now named New Satalia) the Humans named their newly build capital city Phoenicium in Phoenix's honor. Becoming a Rogue Trader Several years later, the inhabitants of New Satalia were able to establish communication with the rest of the Imperium. The Imperium was initially appalled that the Humans of New Satalia had been living alongside Xenos for years, they begrudging gave the Aetrian defectors "Sanctioned Xenos" status after learning that they chose to fight with the Humans and drive the Aetrians from (Old) Elysia. Despite his homeworld of Xyon serving as the homeworld of the Temporal Lords Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes and personally serving alongside the Satalian PDF, Phoenix had limited knowledge of the Imperium of Man. After learning of the existence of Rogue Traders, Phoenix immediately knew that his destiny was to become one of these freelance explorers. Initially hesitant due to his Xenos heritiage, the High Lords of Terra knew of Xyonians sanctioned xenos status and understood that the races "temporal awareness" would be an excellent quality for a Rogue Trader, they reluctantly granted Phoenix Arcanum a 'Warrant of Trade' and a Dauntless-class Light Cruiser to serve as his flagship. Personality If Phoenix's personality were to be condensed into a single characteristic, it would be "bravado". Phoenix carries himself with a confident swagger, and while he may come across as seemingly self-centered it would appear that he harbors a sense of genuine compassion. He also seems, deep down, to care deeply for the members of his crew, showing affection towards them and actually shedding tears when they are injured or even killed. Phoenix as an individual is equally sanguine (carefree, charismatic, eccentric, hyperactive, and enthusiastic) and choleric (incredibly impulsive, emotional, ambitious, sarcastic, and loud). Phoenix is quick to become incredibly confrontational at the slightest provocation. This can be anywhere from 'friendly banter' to 'vulgar and complex insults'. At worst this attitude leads to physical conflict and brawling. Phoenix is very open about those he really dislikes, treating them brazenly, maliciously belittling and insulting them, talking to them in an irreverent tone, and acting in an impudent manner around them. While Phoenix goes out of his way to disobey Inquisitor Yvonne's direct orders and often insults her, Phoenix actually appears to deeply respect her. This attitude towards her is not done out of spite but rather out of endearment. It would appear that Phoenix displays many repressed negative emotions. Greatest among this is anger and sadism. When driven by this anger and overcome by an oppressive blood-rage he will not hesitate to brutally strike down those that oppose him; taking amusement in spilling the blood of his foes, tearing them limb-from-limb, and all-around killing them in the most ferocious way possible. His sadism leads to him toying with his 'prey', waiting until they are completely disabled and humiliated before viciously ending their lives. Phoenix has on more than one occasion shown a rebellious, and even childish, aspect of his personality. He takes great joy in causing general mischief and mayhem among both his enemies and the Imperium itself. Despite his agreement to serve the Imperium Phoenix has a record of directly disobeying orders coming from those in higher positions of authority, either doing the exact opposite of what he's been told or doing things his own way. This has obviously lead to a strained relationship, the only reason Phoenix has not suffered major retribution for his misdemeanor is because despite his rebellious streak he still remains a valuable asset to the Imperium. Phoenix's childishness is marked by an incredibly vulgar and irreverent attitude. Phoenix is noted for typically confronting dangerous situations with a highly facetious and humorous attitude. However the Phoenix is more than capable of quickly dropping his flippant behavior and "happy-go-lucky" demeanor, becoming serious when the situation demands it. Phoenix very much fits the Rogue Trader trope of the 'Explorer'. The whole reason he sought to become a Rogue Trader was because of the call to adventure he felt star-gazing on his homeworld of Xyon during his childhood. Phoenix is often exhilarated by the dangerous situations he finds himself in and believes there is nothing better than "living life on the edge". Phoenix suffers from thwo "fatal-flaws"; Hubris and Audacity Phoenix's first fatal-flaw is his "God-Complex"; He attempts to take control of many of the situations he finds himself in, he feels it is his place, duty, and obligation to "administer justice" to those who commit "horrific acts", he often views himself to be in a higher position of "cosmic authority" than he actually is, he sometimes believes himself to be the strongest/smartest/best person in the room, and he regularly uses his own name as a form of threat. His over-confidence in his abilities has landed him in "sub-optimal situations" on many occasions. An example of this includes refusing to use the abilities he has been gifted with, stating that it "wouldn't be as fun that way." Phoenix's second fatal flaw is his reckless and impulsive behavior. The Phoenix is a very "emotion-driven" person, compelled to act upon his instincts, diving head-first into situations before even considering the consequences. While this has lead to him preforming numerous feats of awe-inspiring bravery, it more than not leads to "less-than-optimal situations". The worst of these situations usually involve the bloody and excruciating injury of himself as well as massive collateral damage devastating the surrounding area. Phoenix never backs down in the face of adversity even when posed with devastating conflicts. His impulsive actions are usually driven by anger. The one thing that makes drives him into a blinded rage of the highest degree is the insult or injury of those he cares about. An example of this was when Inquisitor Yvonne was injured, causing Phoenix to enter a berserk fury and aimlessly lash out against the enemy. In the end the surrounding area was irreversibly devastated while Phoenix; lost an arm, broke all his ribs, and suffered near-total organ failure. Appearance Like all Xyonians, Phoenix Arcanum is nearly physically indistinguishable from Humans. Phoenix Arcanum is a man with a very young and youthful appearance (despite being nearly three and a half centuries old as of 150.M42), stands at six feet tall, has a light caucasian skin tone, and displays a strong/well-built physique. He has medium-length dark brown hair that is described as perpetually messy and highly unkempt. He is dark brown eyes that are capable of changing color to a bright crimson. His face is often clean-shaven. Phoenix displays the somewhat pronounced canine fangs typical of his race. Despite his great regenerative attributes his arms, legs, and torso are slightly scarred. Only a small scar on his right cheek is present on his face. His attire consists of a long black coat left "open and unbuttoned" to reveal his torso, dark blue pants, brown boots, and brown finger-less gloves. Equipment Phoenix's most commonly used equipment consists of an ornate master-crafted power sword named Claíomh Dóchas ''(Sword of Hope in Low Gothic) that he received as a gift from the Iron Spears Chapter. As well as two ornate master-crafted ballistic handguns Abilities Phoenix Arcanum displays a number of abilities that are present in nearly every Xyonian. '''Temporal Awareness: '''Like the rest of his race, Phoenix has a high level of "temporal awareness" and is able to perceive future events before they happen. Uniquely however, Phoenix himself claims to be haunted by visions of "other realities, parallel timelines, past incarnations, and future incarnations. Whether this is a genuine claim or some kind of joke is uncertain. '''Psychic Powers: '''Phoenix, like the majority of the Xyonian population, is classified as a potent Psyker. '''Regenerative Attributes: '''Due to an apparent mutation of a Xyonians already great healing attributes, Phoenix has a heightened healing ability such that the most grievous of wounds heal within a few weeks with minimal scarring. So long as Phoenix remains alive he is able to heal from ''any injuring including dismemberment, being torn in half, etc. During the healing process, the wound will glow a light gold/yellow color alongside the presence of smoke (or steam) and a slight hissing noise. According to Phoenix, the healing process is quite painful and, to quote, "feels like cauterization but a hundred times worse." Superhuman Strength and Durability: '''Phoenix's physical capabilities are considered to be "above average" for his species. '''Like all Xyonians, Phoenix displays greater physical strength and durability far beyond that of a regular human. A Xyonian's physical strength is so great that it is often said that they are almost equal to that of an Asartes, though this is likely an exaggeration. Entourage * '''Inquisitor Yvonne Carsen: '''Yvonne Carsen is an Inquisitor of the Ordo Xenos charged with "watching over" Phoenix Arcanum. While Yvonne is technically in a higher position of authority than Arcanum, he goes out of his way to disobey her direct orders. Unfortunately for Yvonne, Phoenix has taken a liking to her and, much to her horror, used "foul xenos magic" to slow her aging to a near halt so that they may serve together forever. Yvonne has been part of Arcanum's crew since at least 984.M41. * '''Brother Runcible: '''Brother Runcible is a Battle-Brother of the Temporal Lords Chapter. When Phoenix Arcanum became rapped up in an unknown conflict at an unknown point in time, he came into contact with Brother Runcible, a Marine of the Temporal Lords' 3rd Company who had "stained his honor" by the end of the conflict. In order to make up for his short-comings Runcible agreed to serve under Phoenix Arcanum. Over time the two formed a mutal respect for one-another and even after having his honor restored Runcible continued to work alongside Phoenix in his entourage. Because Runcible was serving alongside Arcanum he was spared from the tragedy that was the Desolation of Xyon Stardust Aurora Stardust Aurora is a Dauntless Light Cruiser that serves as Phoenix Arcanum's personal flagship as well as the flagship of Arcanum's Rogue Trader Fleet.Category:Characters Category:Imperial Characters Category:Rogue Traders Category:Sanctioned Xenos Category:Xenos Category:Xenos Characters